Higher National Diploma in Jewellery and Silversmithing
Birmingham, United Kingdom
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
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Introduction
The School of Jewellery’s HND course has an excellent reputation within the jewellery industry, with our students and graduates employed at all levels locally and internationally. Being positioned in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, we are uniquely placed to provide the education and skills that we know that employers and industry are looking for.
As an HND student, you will be working on live, collaborative and customer-facing projects, broadening your experience through our industry-focused curriculum. Working at authentic jewellers’ benches, you will develop traditional skills alongside knowledge of contemporary cutting-edge technology.
What's covered in this course?
Our course will immerse you in the world of jewellery and silversmithing as you create pieces in precious and non-precious metals. You will produce pieces by hand and by mechanical means, with a particular focus on manipulating metal.
The practical, design-led nature of the course gives you plenty of opportunity for hands-on workshop experience to hone your skills. You’ll develop practical experience with materials and tools, alongside techniques in drawing and model making to develop your design processes.
You’ll have access to the latest equipment such as laser welders and 2D and 3D CAD software packages, as well as casting and plating workshops.
Dedicated staff with professional experience will offer advice, support and industry contacts. You’ll be encouraged to enter national and international competitions, and you’ll also have fantastic opportunities to work on live projects with industry.
Field trips and study visits add colour and relevance to your studies and support an understanding of commercial jewellery manufacturing environments.
You’ll study at our internationally-renowned School of Jewellery, in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter, where much of today’s jewellery is still made. The historical facade of our Vittoria Street building conceals a contemporary environment, including workshops, a specialist library, a state-of-the-art technology hub, an atrium gallery and an exhibition space.
Why choose us?
- Founded in 1890, our internationally-renowned School of Jewellery is the largest in Europe, located in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. An estimated 40 per cent of British jewellery is still made here today. Being situated within this wonderful environment you will gain contacts, inspiration and experience.
- The HND course has an excellent reputation for producing highly employable graduates with a practical understanding of the needs of the industry.
- Our well-equipped studio workshops offer a dedicated laser welder, contemporary stone-setting, including optical diamond setting and a dedicated CAD/CAM facility, using the latest relevant CAD packages to enhance the traditional techniques and hand skills you will learn.
- Regular liaisons with the industry in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and beyond offer opportunities to get noticed, make connections and gain employment: we are proud of the number of our graduates who now work at all levels of the trade, locally, nationally and internationally.
- Sponsorship and support from associated companies give the course industry relevance and insight, supporting the reputation of the HND and endorsing your qualification.
Curriculum
Year one
You’ll be given an introduction to the industry and the tools, materials and processes used. The course is based on traditional techniques and projects, with hands-on workshops.
Each project involves a new jewellery or silversmithing technique or process. You’ll work on both large and small-scale metalwork and related design processes.
Demonstrations from experts, as well as field trips, will help you understand the techniques and processes and gain networking opportunities.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 100 credits):
- Fundamental Hand Skills
- Fundamental Silversmithing Skills
- Fundamental Production Processes
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of optional modules:
- Fine Jewellery
- Introduction to Gemmology
- CAD for Bespoke Production
- Silversmithing and Objects
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Year two
You’ll develop your skills in CAD work and build up your professional portfolio. This year also develops your advanced jewellery skills relating to traditional diamond mounting and diamond grading.
A live project forms a compulsory part of your studies this year. Birmingham-based precious metal casting and rapid-prototyping company, Weston Beamor submit a brief to create jewellery and give you the chance to gain recognition, prizes and valuable work experience.
Awards are presented at a prestigious trade fair in Birmingham providing great publicity and networking opportunities.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 100 credits):
- Advanced Production Processes
- Professional Context
- Specialist Practice
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of optional modules:
- Practical Stone Setting
- Luxury Jewellery Branding
- Live Project
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Career Opportunities
Enhancing your employability skills
We have designed the course to make you the most employable jewellery graduate possible.
In addition to all the basic metalworking skills, you will learn about hallmarking, the history of jewellery and silverware, gemstones and gem-setting, CAD software, and all about the newest types of digital production technologies. We pride ourselves on the fact that you will learn most of this in a practical way, by actually doing the work and our many connections to the jewellery industry support us in this.
Many of our graduates are now prestigious makers and designers in their own right. Kevin Gray was recently the highlight of the Silver Speaks exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Agnieszka Maksymiuk runs her own successful company. Naomi Newton-Sherlock has become the director of the casting company Weston Beamor, while Jack Row runs his own bespoke pen company, which is sold through prestigious outlets such as Harrods.
Placements
You will be encouraged to take up any opportunities which are available to you, and the jewellery industry frequently contacts us when they are looking for employees. It is not uncommon for our students to be working in the industry part-time while studying with us, and we have put people into companies as diverse as Weston-Beamor (casting) and Thomas Fattorini (medal-making,) as well as into smaller workshops doing repairs, commercial stone-setting and small-scale manufacture.
Our students are also in demand for retail work as their experience in handling jewellery and their knowledge of gemstones and other materials is helpful in the retail environment.
Our Graduates
Naomi Newton-Sherlock - Director, Weston Beamor
Naomi studied at the School of Jewellery in the mid-2000s, having already graduated with First Class Honours in languages. Education, work experience and networking have been valuable investments for Naomi, from the practical bench experiences with jewellers Cellini and James Newman to studying additional courses to gain further skills such as gemology.
After winning prestigious competitions, and working with both luxury and high-street jewellers, she applied for a design position at Domino. Evolving the bridal and diamond ring mounts and growing the business, her professional and creative aptitude soon had her promoted. In 2015, she became the Director of the brand’s sister company Weston Beamor.
Nicole Iredale - Company founder, Nicole Iredale Designs
After graduation, Nicole started her own business, Nicole Iredale Designs, sharing a workshop as part of the Design Space scheme. In order to fund her business, she took a part-time job at Kokkino. This proved invaluable, from the cash flow injection to the experience of assisting at trade and retail shows, giving her confidence to take her own jewellery to the British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF). The success of exhibiting at the BCTF resulted in a number of shops and galleries stocking her jewellery.
Joseph Jackson - CAD Designer, Shaun Leane
Joseph worked as Shaun Leane’s CAD designer in London for 18 months straight after University (2014) and learned a lot about the bespoke process, getting to work on multi-million pound pieces. Joseph studied first on the HND course before being accepted to the DFI top-up year, giving him dedicated access to new technologies. Joseph is also exhibiting at this year’s Goldsmith Fair and has recently completed a commission for a £34,000 diamond bracelet.
Jack Row - Award winner
Following successful graduation in 2007 and winning a number of awards, Jack entered employment for one of Europe's leading jewellery manufacturing companies. Experimenting with the application of CAD technology, Jack became fascinated with its potential for the creation of innovative, exciting products. He returned to study the DFI course, combining his traditional skills with the innovative application of CAD and RP (Rapid-Prototyping) technologies. Graduating with a First Class Honours degree a year later, Jack won the coveted British Jewellers Association prize for his precious metal fountain pen design concept. Six months later, he was awarded a Gold Medal prize by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one of the established Livery companies in London, for his 'Architect' prototype fountain pen.